Press Releases

Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Mondaire Jones (D-NY) led 41 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a Justice Department investigation into cruel Republican migrant flights. 

“As the federal government retains jurisdiction over cases that involve interstate travel, we request the Department of Justice investigate whether any federal funds were used to operate a fraudulent scheme and request the Department of Justice make a determination as to whether officials in Texas and Florida violated federal law,” the members wrote. 

“The migrants who were used in this political stunt were fleeing communism, authoritarianism, and violence, having crossed 10 countries and walked thousands of miles in search of a dignified life for them and their families. Our nation has a long tradition of welcoming migrants fleeing persecution and conflict. These individuals become essential pillars to our economy, diversity, and culture. The actions of the officials in Texas and Florida were not only fundamentally cruel and uniquely un-American; there remains a likelihood that federal laws were violated,” the members added. 

According to press reports, immigration officials knowingly falsified mailing addresses for the migrants by selecting arbitrary homeless shelters across the United States and packets given to the migrants promised access to refugee support programs only available to those who ultimately are granted asylum, not to asylum seekers.

In addition to Connolly, Garcia, Lieu, and Jones, the letter was signed by the following Representatives: Jake Auchincloss, Nanette Barragán, Suzanne Bonamici, Brendan Boyle, Shontel Brown, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Katherine Clark, Madeleine Dean, Adriano Espaillat, Jesús García, Raúl Grijalva, Sheila Jackson Lee, Pramila Jayapal, Hank Johnson, James McGovern, Grace Meng, Gwen Moore, Grace Napolitano, Marie Newman, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Donald Payne, Jr., Dean Phillips, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Linda Sánchez, Bobby Scott, Albio Sires, Darren Soto, Haley Stevens, Rashida Tlaib, Norma Torres, Lori Trahan, Juan Vargas, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams.

Full text of the letter follows and is available  here.

Dear Attorney General Garland,

We write to express our deep concern following reports that the Governor of Florida flew 50 Venezuelan migrants seeking asylum from the Maduro regime to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts from Texas. We respectfully request the Department of Justice determine whether officials who ordered and executed this political stunt in Texas and Florida violated federal law. 

Harrowing interviews and reports reveal officials in Florida intentionally misled the migrants to believe they would be flown to Boston to receive expedited work papers. Instead, the deceived migrants were packed onto buses, put onto two privately chartered flights, and prohibited from taking photos of the journey that made two unannounced stops before landing in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

It is alleged that immigration officials knowingly falsified mailing addresses for the migrants by selecting arbitrary homeless shelters across the United States, with the expectation that migrants would be required to attend court proceedings as early as next week in states thousands of miles away or face forced removal.

Packets given to the migrants promised access to refugee support programs only available to those who ultimately are granted asylum, not to asylum seekers and allegedly instructed the migrants to contact the wrong agency, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to change their address upon arrival in Massachusetts. 

It has also come to light that a person who identified themselves as “Perla” paid $200 in cash to at least one migrant to recruit others to board charter flights that eventually landed in Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, September 14^th. 

As the federal government retains jurisdiction over cases that involve interstate travel, we request the Department of Justice investigate whether any federal funds were used to operate a fraudulent scheme and request the Department of Justice make a determination as to whether officials in Texas and Florida violated federal law. The migrants who were used in this political stunt were fleeing communism, authoritarianism, and violence, having crossed 10 countries and walked thousands of miles in search of a dignified life for them and their families. Our nation has a long tradition of welcoming migrants fleeing persecution and conflict. These individuals become essential pillars to our economy, diversity, and culture. The actions of the officials in Texas and Florida were not only fundamentally cruel and uniquely un-American; there remains a likelihood that federal laws were violated. 

The Bexar County, Texas Sheriff’s office has already opened a criminal investigation into this scheme. We urge your Department to do the same and conduct a thorough investigation and deliver accountability to those that violated the law.

Sincerely,